By Séamus Leonard
Australia 53-57 Ireland
10:54am: Time for me to go. Hope you've enjoyed this matchtracker. A great win for Ireland, but, more importantly, a great advertisement for the hybrid game. Thanks to all who emailed in. Have a good Friday and a great weekend. Slán!
10:52am: Kieran McGeeney says that the way Ireland have adapted to the tackle was a key aspect to the win.
10:47am: Graham Canty is named as the Man of the Series.
10:46am: Captain Fantastic Seán Cavanagh says it was a 'fantastic' occasion and adds that he's looking forward to next year already!
10:41am: In yet another tight finish, Ireland just about hold on to bring the Cormac McAnallen Perpetual Cup back to the Emerald Isle. The Australians must be commended for their attitude. They were aggressive, but not overly so. Mick Malthouse's men looked like they were on their way to victory when Burgoyne goaled in the final quarter, but Coulter popped up almost immediately to snatch the vital six-pointer.
FULL TIME: Australia 53-57 Ireland. Ireland win the series by five points.
Glynn looks to have made a mark but he did so by fouling his man.
In Injury time, and Ireland dilly-dally again and that man Petrie gets hold of the ball and blasts past Gallagher in the Irish goal. Australia 53-57 Ireland
72 min: Into the last minute. Canty makes a brilliant mark ahead of Petrie.
70 min: Just as I say that Canty handpasses straight to an Australian player. Gets away with it - just.
68 min: Canty makes a brilliant tackle on Harvey. The Cork man has had an amazing series.
65 min: GOAL FOR IRELAND. Donaghy contests a high ball and Coulter reacts quickest to fist the ball between Firrito's legs. Australia 47-57 Ireland
64 min: GOAL FOR AUSTRALIA. Burgoyne crashes a brilliant low shot to the Irish net after strong running by Motlop had the Irish defence in disarray. Australia 47-51 Ireland
63 min: Cavanagh makes a mark and thumps a kick for a behind to stop Australia's scoring streak. Australia 41-51 Ireland
62 min: Coulter picks up a break but his tame shot goes straight at Firrito.
61 min: Wells is unlucky to see his shot crash off the upright for a behind. Australia 41-50 Ireland
60 min: The breeze has changed direction apparently. A dangerous ball into the Irish area goes behind. Australia 40-50 Ireland
59 min: The Aussies pile on the pressure but the Irish defence stands up well. Some excellent tackling.
57 min: Petrie claims a brilliant mark in the pocket and kicks a beautiful over. Australia 39-50 Ireland
56 min: Canty is guilty of fouling Petrie. The Aussie player scuffs his shot but there is enough on the effort to clear the crossbar. Australia 36-50 Ireland
10:16am: The final quarter is under way.
10:13am: Darron Hannon has a very valid reason for wanting an Irish victory.
He says: 'I went to see Rain Man in London on Tuesday. Four Aussies sat behind me and talked all the way through. For that reason, and for that reason alone, Ireland must win!'
Can't argue with that, Darron.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: The Aussies staged a commendable comeback early in the quarter but Coulter's goal and Donaghy's over have Ireland 17 points ahead and in pole position. The hosts will obviously throw everything at us in the final quarter. Can we hold on?
Into injury time. Again Coulter is involved as he finds Donaghy with a handpass and the Kerry giant curls a beautiful over from the left sideline. Australia 33-50 Ireland
54 min: GOAL FOR IRELAND. Coulter swoops for his fourth international goal in seven matches. Meehan looked like he fouled an Australian player but play went on and he chipped the ball up for Coulter who make no mistake from close range. Australia 33-47 Ireland
54 min: Colm Beglay lands a behind for Ireland. Australia 33-41 Ireland
51 min: Nothing's going right for McDonnell. His ferocious shot is brilliantly tipped behind by Firrito. Australia 33-40 Ireland
50 min: Crowley and Donaghy get in a tangle which ends with the Australian being pushed to the ground. Nothing serious in it.
46 min: GOAL FOR AUSTRALIA: Ireland fail to deal with a high ball into the area and the ball squirms across the line. Might hav ebeen an own goal. Game on! Australia 33-39 Ireland
44 min: Motlop makes a great mark just to the right of the posts but his effort screws off his boot for a behind. Australia 27-39 Ireland
42 min: Crowley marks from a David Gallagher clearance. He pulls his sot and must be content with a behind. The Aussies have taken control again. Australia 26-39 Ireland
41 min: Harvey kicks a behind for the hosts. Australia 25-39 Ireland
39 min: Ger tells us that a warning came up on the scoreboard to warn any more potential pitch invaders that they will be fined AUS$6,000 if they do so. Jared Brennan kicks a fine over for Australia to narrow the deficit. Australia 24-39 Ireland
37 min: Seagulls are flying over the MCG. Commentator Ger Canning reminds us that Ireland led by 17 points at one stage last week and ended uop barely clinging on for a one-point win. Ireland go 18 points clear here, however, as Bradley angles an excellent left-footed over. Australia 21-39 Ireland
09:50am: The third quarter begins.
09:41am: Tim Major, an Aussie living in Dublin, has been on again:
'G'day Seamus!
There was a bit of talk on sports radio in Melbourne this week. Former AFL premiership player and on-field bad boy Nick ''NH'' Hawking came out saying that the International Rules is much more enjoyable when punches are thrown and blood is spilt. Don’t know if much attention was paid to his comments, as he's known to be a bit of a loser these days. Did spur up a few comments that the series going forward wont work as its not as 'physical anymore.
I think the game is better off now 'cos at the end of the day who likes seeing Irish lads laying on the field knocked out?? Well, except if its Graham Geraghty. I spose that's alright! GO AUSSIES!!'
Thanks for that Tim. I hope you're disappointed at the end of the game, though.
09:38am: Both analysts believe that Ireland have made better use of the interchange players. Carney describes Aussie goalkeeper Firrito as a 'Halloween scarecrow' for his feeble attempt to save Donaghy's goal.
09:35am: Martin Carney says the Irish had Australia 'mesmerised' in the second quarter. 'Geezer' has noticed that the speed of the game has quickened from the first Test.
END OF SECOND QUARTER: Australia 21-36 Ireland. An amazing second quarter by Ireland sees them lead by 15 points at the end of the first half. Cavanagh and Canty have been immense for Ireland and McGinley has come more into the game as well. But before we get too carried away, Australia finished strongly last week and manager Malthouse will use the break to reorganise his players.
Into injury time and Australia land an over to bring the score back to 21-36. Ireland then almost get a goal when a shot by Paddy Bradley hits both uprights before it is cleared by the scrambling Aussie defence.
36 min: Michael Meehan clatters the upright with an over attempt but the ball bounces out.
34 min: McGinley atones for his earlier miss as he blasts past the hapless Firrito after Cavanagh had kicked an over. Australia 18-36 Ireland
33 min: Motlop marks close to the posts but only manages a behind. Australia 18-29 Ireland
32 min: Cavanagh's rasping shot is well blocked by Firrito and McGinley pushes the ball wide with the rebound. A glorious goal chance goes begging. Australia 17-29 Ireland
31 min: McDonnell tries again from way out and again his effort misses it desire target. He does get a behind, though. Australia 17-28 Ireland
28 min: It's all kicking off in Melbourne. Two intruders come onto the pitch but are quickly dealt with. It's a funny incident but it might disrupt the momentum Ireland have built up.
26 min: Ciáran McKeever fouls Harvey by tackling the Aussie skipper after the ball was gone. Harvey kicks a behind. Australia 17-27 Ireland
25 min: Benny Coulter is put through on goal but a poor solo forces him into settling for an over. Australia 16-27 Ireland
24 min: Cavanagh notches his third over of the game. Ireland are well on top now. Australia 16-24 Ireland
23 min: GOAL FOR IRELAND. Donaghy finishes after the Aussies mess up the kick out. Australia 16-21 Ireland
22 min: Firrito fails to deal with a high ball in from Canty and Finlay curls over a delightful over. Australia 16-15 Ireland
21 min: Ryan Crowley, whose grandfather hails from Killarney, marks well but can only garner a behind from a good chance. Australia 16-12 Ireland
20 min: Killian Young, Marty McGrath and Paul Finlay get their first taste of action this series.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Australia 15-12 Ireland. Australia, with the wind at their backs settled into their stride early, but Cavanagh has shown brilliant leadership skills to drag Ireland back into the game to trail by two points on aggregate. The greasy conditions, surprisingly, are affecting the visitors more than the Aussies.
18 min: Cavanagh lands his third over right on the hooter after Cullen found his run to the right of the posts. Australia 15-12 Ireland
17 min: Canty finds Cavanagh in space. The Tyrone man makes a mark and composes himself before shooting an over. That's better. Australia 15-9 Ireland
16 min: Daniel Motlop marks but his shot veers away for a behind. Australia 15-6 Ireland
15 min: Graham Canty kicks a free straight out over the sideline. Ireland have yet to settle and their passing is all over the place.
13 min: Campbell Brown, who was yellow carded last week in Perth, kicks an over though he had a decent chance at shooting for goal. Australia 14-6 Ireland
12 min: Australia captain Nathan Harvey lands a behind. Australia 13-6 Ireland
11 min: Kevin Reilly is penalised for kicking the ball out of an opponent's hand. Ireland are let off the hook, however, as Drew Petrie only gets a behind. Australia 10-6 Ireland
9 min: McDonnell's attempt is so wayward it doesn't even register as a behind. The Armagh man appears to have left his shooting boots back at the hotel.
8 min: Glynn hits a behind for Ireland. Australia 9-6 Ireland
7 min: Wells kicks his second over. Ireland were lucky to get away with not conceding a goal after Bryan Cullen was dispossessed, but Burgoyne's handpass went astray. Australia 9-5 Ireland
5 min: McDonnell has another chance but the wind catches his shot and he registers his second behind. Australia 6-5 Ireland
4 min: Steven McDonnell'a attempt from distance drifts wide for a behind. Australia 6-4 Ireland
3 min: Seán Cavanagh leads by example finding the range to kick a left-footed over after good work by Leighton Glynn. Australia 6-3 Ireland
2 min: The Aussies have made an execllent start and Daniel Wells gets on the end of a loose ball to angle a shot for the hosts' second over. Australia 6-0 Ireland
1 min: Inside the first 30 seconds, Shaun Burgoyne makes a fine mark in front of the Irish posts and converts an over. Australia 3-0 Ireland
08:46am: A minute late, the game starts.
08:45am: James Gillic says: 'Best of luck to all the Meath lads involved today, nepotism is the way forward and the rock this great country was built on! Go on Sean, Kevin, David, Frank, Mocky, etc etc from all in Seneschalstown! But why didn’t you bring Graham?'
08:44am: Australia win the toss. Sean Cavanagh gives an impassioned speech to a huddled Irish squad
08:42am: The handshakes are under way. Is that where the pleasantries will end?
8:40am: Amhrán na Bhfiann is being sung by Vincent O'Connor. The Irish players look nervous, according to our audiovisual expert Dónal Moriarty - our resident Kerryman.
8:33am: McGeeney reckons the first Test is like our National League, whereas the second Test is more like a Championship game.
8:32am: The weather is poor in Melbourne where it is raining. A crowd of only 30,000 and 40,000 is expected at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
8.30am: The TV covergae has started on RTÉ Two. Michael Lyster is joined again by Martin Carney and Kieran McGeeney.
8:18am: I go to the canteen for a cup of scald and team arrives in my absence. Benny Coulter has passed a fitness test and plays, Ciarán Lyng, Tom Parsons and Pearse O'Neill are the players to lose out.
8:07am: Benny Coulter is the main injury worry for Ireland. No news on the team yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything. The Down forward will be a big loss as he was one of our top performers last week. I'd like to see Fermanagh's Marty McGrath get a run out today. His all-action style coule be suited to the hybrid game.
8:01am: I've just taken a quick leaf through the morning's papers there. No huge scandal. Did notice that Australian manager Mick Malthouse says the players want an annual series, rather than every third year off like the two associations have agreed. If today goes well, they may accede to his request. I fear, however, that the Aussies' innate ultra-competitive mentality will kick in if they are narrowly behind in the closing stages. Hopefully, they'll prove me wrong.
7:53am: The Aussies have named Michael Firrito in goal in place of last week's stopper Nathan Brock. A bit harsh on Brock, perhaps, because there was little he could do to stop the three six-pointers that went past him in Perth. If you have any thoughts on today's game do share them with us at sportonline@rte.ie.
7:47am: That's the make of a plane, not a time I should be in work at! Good morning and welcome to today's matchtracker.
Australia: Michael Firrito; Roger Hayden, Nathan Bock, Campbell Brown; Ryan Crowley, Drew Petrie, Adam Selwood; Brent Harvey, Daniel Wells; Marc Murphy, Jared Brennan, David Rodan; Michael Osborne, Shaun Burgoyne, Matt Campbell.
Interchange players: Matthew Boyd, Nathan Foley, Josh Hunt, Leigh Montagna, Daniel Motlop, Scott Pendlebury, Brad Sewell, Kade Simpson, Dale Thomas.
Ireland: David Gallagher; Aidan O'Mahony, Finian Hanley, John Keane; Bryan Cullen, Kevin Reilly, Ciarán McKeever; Graham Canty, Colm Begley; Enda McGinley, Seán Cavanagh, Joe McMahon; Steven McDonnell, Kieran Donaghy, Leighton Glynn.
Interchange Players: Paddy Bradley, Benny Coulter, Aaron Kernan, Killian Young, Justin McMahon, Michael Meehan, John Miskella, Paul Finlay, Marty McGrath.
